Summary
The two-day workshop was a part of Initium: The internship Expo organised by The Entrepreneurship Development Cell and The Placement Cell of St. Xavier’s College
From the length of the CV to its appearance, the CV writing workshop covered everything
The workshop on interview taught students how to tackle questions in a calm manner
The students of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, picked up the tricks of designing a CV and acing an interview with confidence at a two-day virtual workshop.
The Entrepreneurship Development Cell and The Placement Cell of the St. Xavier’s Park Steet campus organised a workshop on CV writing on January 22 and on How to Ace an interview on January 23. The events were a part of Initium: The Internship Expo, an annual internship fair to be held in the third week of February.
Workshop on CV writing
The CV writing workshop was conducted by Sharang Dhaimade, co-founder of SEED Global Education. “Resume is a marketing document targeted at the audience you are seeking. Do not extend your resume to more than one page because the recruiters spend not more than six seconds reviewing it. Your primary goal should be to grab their attention on that one page by using proper contact information, professional summary, work experience, education, language, software and skills, interests and certification. Make your resume simple but significant,” said Dhaimade.
What the students learnt…
Concepts such as the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and the importance of quantifying our contributions and using powerful keywords are things I was not aware of. I believe the knowledge I acquired will be pivotal for me the next time I apply for an internship
Harshi Mertia, a second-year Economics student, who is the senior associate, finance, of the Entrepreneurship Development Cell
We were offered an in-depth analysis into what a CV should look like. I got to know how CVs are usually first filtered through and that HR usually spends just six seconds on a CV. I realised how much the size of a CV matter and that we should edit our resumes to cater to the different roles we’re applying for. If I’m applying for an internship in sales, I’ll highlight the parts that are more catered to sales like communication and interpersonal skills and sideline other parts like the experience I might have in the finance department.
Avishi Tikmany, a second-year Economics student, who is the senior associate, PR, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell
Dhaimade highlighted the etiquettes of a good resume and the key areas that we should focus on to make our resume more presentable and apt. He emphasised the need for pursuing certifications to enhance our profile. It was a great start for our Internship Exposition and truly a value-adding session.
Nazish Anwar, a second-year BCom student, who is the senior associate, PR and Operations, the Entrepreneurship Development Cell
Workshop on How to Ace an Interview
Gaurav Ashisha, head of enterprise sales at FastTrack Software, spoke on How to Ace an Interview.
“Apply to places where you don’t want to work. By doing that you can have a real experience of how to give an interview without any pressure of getting a job and it helps you to build your confidence. An interview is a conversation with a purpose. You can instantly boost your confidence by thinking that it is a two-way process. You should be assessing whether the company is good for you because we spend most of our life's time working so it is of no point working in a place where it makes your life miserable,” Ashisha said.
What the students learnt…
The session taught us how to discover our interests by exploring various job roles and work in different industries so that we can find and do work that leverages our strengths and passions. We were also inspired by the personal experiences shared. He taught us how to tackle questions and negotiate salaries. Also, what to answer when asked why you should be hired? We also learnt how to deal with offline and online interviews. In the online set up we should always join the meeting early, to depict punctuality. We should dress in formals so that our brain takes the interview process seriously. During the offline setup, we can take a sip of water to buy time from the interviewer and think.
Vanshika Saboo, a second-year BCom student, who is the senior associate, PR, The Entrepreneurship Development Cell.
We learnt tips and tricks on cracking interviews like always maintaining a smile, being calm and confident. Never use your phone during or before the interview. FAQs and how to handle common mistakes were covered in the session. It is important to read the job description before applying and even before the interview. This will help a lot in cutting down your discomfort. Confidently answering questions helps. Always answer to ‘SSS’ — What is your Success? What is your Strength? What is your Situation? This will certainly help us crack interviews for internships.
Utkarsh Sureka, a second-year BCom student, who is the senior associate, PR and operations, The Entrepreneurship Development Cell
We learnt how to discover our competencies. Understanding key information about the company we are applying to will help us face the interview with confidence. This workshop helped us see our path clearly by understanding how the corporate works and how the interview process takes place. It taught us how to communicate our values to an employer. Talk about your strengths and give proper explanations as to where you have utilised your strengths. If asked about your weaknesses, talk about the steps you have taken to overcome them.
Falak Bavishi, a second-year BCom student, who is the senior associate, finance, The Entrepreneurship Development Cell.
Last updated on 28 Jan 2022
